Electrical vehicles such as motorcycles, motor scooters, and so forth are extremely popular in certain parts of the world, especially in the Far East. Given the traffic congestion in some urban environments, such electric vehicles represents an indispensable way of navigating through traffic. There are also indications that other types of electric vehicles will soon become commercially viable, including electric cars, busses, and so forth. The forces behind this eventual acceptance range from increased demands for environmental protection and reduced road noise, to more efficient energy utilization and highway vehicle integration. Advances in battery technology are also gradually turning the desire for an efficient, affordable electrical automobile with sufficient range into a reality.
At the present time, however, and for the foreseeable future, electric vehicle development faces serious technical challenges, including the fact that present batteries simply do not hold a charge of sufficient magnitude to support a satisfactory range. This presents three possible options. One option is that such electric vehicles will, at least for the time being, be relegated to short-range applications. Another possibility is that the public will simply have to wait until battery technology advances to the point which allows the required extended range. The third possibility mandates that charging facilities of sufficient number are conveniently located so that drivers may advance to such facilities on a point-to-point basis, recharging batteries on an as-needed basis.
Regarding the second option, an enormous number of research and development organizations are investing considerable resources toward the development and perfection of new battery materials exhibiting ever higher energy-to-weight ratios. The hope remains that one day very small, lightweight batteries will be developed which store sufficient energy to allow a driving range comparable to that of a conventional automobile having a full tank of gas. Even if such a battery were to be developed in the near term, however, the need will remain for convenient charging service stations. Although charging technologies are advancing rapidly in concert with battery development, the actual time required to charge a battery will no doubt remain problematic. Fundamentally, this is due to the nature of the battery materials used, the manner in which the battery is discharged, and the chemical and physical characteristics of the battery constituents. Even if lightweight, high storage, fast-charge batteries are developed ahead of schedule, there remains little doubt that the charge time will remain sufficiently prolonged that a vehicle operator will be inconvenienced if forced to wait.
Moreover, it often happens that in the effort to speed the charging process, efficiency suffers. In other words, even if super-fast charging is made available, it may require more electricity for a full charge. Additionally, on-demand charging will often result in the need for energy during peak load hours, which could prove to be more costly. All such factors will tend to limit vehicle battery charging on a demand basis.
An alternative to a charge-while-you-wait approach is to simply swap a discharged battery pack for a fully charged unit. This would allow a customer to walk into a convenience store, service center or gas station, tender a required amount of money, and come away with a fully charged battery pack. Although it may be some time before automotive battery packs are lightweight enough to facilitate such portability, for smaller vehicles such as electric motorcycles, motor scooters, electric golf carts, shopping carts, etc., the associated electrical demands should be modest enough from the outset to favor battery swapping over on-demand charging. Furthermore, to establish numerous charging facilities sufficient to support a large number of vehicle operators, each requiring concurrent charging, could place a heavy burden on the technical requirements of the servicing facility. Such recharging stations might also be too complex for ordinary home operation. It may be that unless a more convenient and straightforward means for battery swapping for electric vehicles is introduced, progress in this area will be unnecessarily hampered.